The old jail in Carthage was the site of the murder
of Joseph and Hyrum Smith on June 27, 1844, by a mob of approximately
150 men. The Carthage Jail was built in 1839. The two-story rectangular
gable-front building is constructed of native red limestone and measures
twenty-nine by thirty-five feet. Like other county jails in Illinois,
Carthage Jail was built to incarcerate petty thieves and debtors and to
serve as a temporary holding place for violent criminals. The debtor's
room was located in the northwest corner of the first floor, and the
criminal’s cell was located on the second floor. The jail also included
living quarters for the jailer's family that included a kitchen, a
dining room, and bedrooms.

In 1844 disaffected members of the Church of the
Latter Day Saints joined together to publish a newspaper called the
Nauvoo Expositor. Its only issue was published on June 7, 1844 and
contained criticisms of Joseph Smith, Jr., leader of the Church and
mayor of Nauvoo. The paper caused generated outrage by most of the
citizens of Nauvoo and caused the Nauvoo city council to pass an
ordinance declaring the newspaper a public nuisance designed to promote
violence. The ordinance allowed Smith to order the city marshal to
destroy the printing press, which was done on June 10, 1844. Smith’s
critics said that he had violated the freedom of the press and legal
charges were brought against Smith and others for the destruction of the
printing press, including charges of inciting riot and treason. The
destruction of the press also brought violent threats against Smith and
the Mormon community by the non-Mormon populace in the area. The
warrants were dismissed in the court at Nauvoo on a writ of habeas
corpus. Smith then declared martial law on June 18 and called out the
Nauvoo Legion, an organized city militia of about 5,000 men to protect
Nauvoo from outside violence.

The situation brought Illinois Governor Thomas Ford
to Carthage. Ford was especially critical of the Mormon religion and had
Smith arrested and sent to Missouri to face charges there one time
before. On June 23, 1844, Ford wrote a letter to Smith demanding to meet
with "well informed and discreet persons," to explain the Mormon
position on the destruction of the printing press. The Mormons returned
to Nauvoo with a letter from Ford to Smith. Ford explained "your conduct
in the destruction of the press was a very gross outrage upon the laws
and libels of the people." He also demanded that any and all of the
Mormons who were guilty of the destruction of the press come to Carthage
and surrender to the law and threatened to use the militia to enforce
the law. On June 25, 1844, Joseph and Hyrum Smith, along with the other
fifteen city council members and some friends, surrendered to the
Carthage constable. The city council members were charged and released
on bond but Joseph and Hyrum Smith were charged with treason against the
state of Illinois for declaring martial law in Nauvoo, a capital
offense, and detained. Two members of the city council, Willard Richards
and John Taylor, decided to remain with the Smiths.

Governor Ford left for Nauvoo not long after Smith
went to stay at the jail. The anti-Mormon "Carthage Greys", a local
militia, were assigned to protect Smith. Before a trial could be held, a
mob of about 200 armed men, their faces painted black with wet
gunpowder, stormed the jail in the late afternoon of June 27, 1844. The
Carthage Greys reportedly feigned defense of the jail by firing shots
over the attackers' heads with some joining the mob that who rushed up
the stairs to where the Smiths were being held. In the commotion that
followed both Joseph and Hyrum Smith were killed, Taylor was wounded and
Richards escaped unharmed. The Smiths became martyrs in the eyes of the
members of the Church of Latter Day Saints after the incident. The
Mormons continued to live in the area for an additional two years before
beginning their historic trek to Utah.

The building was used as a jail for 25 years. Over the years the
jail had been modified and utilized for different purposes. For a
period the jail was home to Carthage College. It was a private home
in 1903, when The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints bought
it for $4,000, making it the first historic property that the church
purchased. The Church began restoring the property in 1938. The
site, which covers a full city block, contains a historical visitors
center that was built in 1963. Tours of the Old Carthage Jail begin at the
visitor's center with an 18-minute film that depicts the events of
Joseph Smith's life and mission. A tour guide then takes visitors
into the Carthage Jail where the first floor parlor, the first floor
debtor's prison, the second floor criminal cell, and the second
floor bedroom where the Smiths were murdered have been restored to a
close approximation of its appearance in 1844. The Carthage Latter
Day Saints visitor's center houses art depicting the life of Joseph
Smith with tours starting every 15 minutes. The grounds have been
landscaped with beautiful gardens and a life-sized statue of Joseph
and Hyrum pays tribute to the brothers.

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